Electrically heated wax spatula



April 25, 1933.

` w. v LANE ELECTRCALLY HEATED WAX SP'ATULA Filed April 25 1931 Patented Apr. 25, 1933 lnarran, STATES lPivraN'r OFFICE man v. LANE, or comm, oxLAnoxA, AssIGNoa or ONE-HALE 'ro znLLA I.

n LANE, or OKLAHOMA orrY, oxLAnorlA ELECTBICALLY y HEATED WAX SPATULA Application tiled April 25, 1931. Serial No. 532,949.

'Uris invention relates to electrically heated instruments and pertains particularly to an instrument designed for use in mechanical dentistry.

In the making of dental plates and in certain other operations in mechanical dentistry the use of wax is necessary and this, after being laced in the proper position, must be shaped) up by a spatula or other suitable implement which must be maintained in a heated condition so that the Wax will be softened and will melt down into the proper place as this operation is carried out..

At the present time the custom is to keep a burning Bunson burner at hand so that the instrument may be -occasionally passed through the flame and thus maintained at the -proper temperature for carrying out v the operation at hand. v

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an instrument for shaping the wa-x used in the formation of a plate which is electrically heated and thus may be vcontinually used by the O rator without his having to stop to reheat t e same as is necessary with the instruments at present employed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an instrument in which the working end may be removed to be replaced by a working tip or end of a different form.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accoml panying drawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to an strict conformity with the showingof the rawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no materia-1 departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed inthe appended claim.

In the drawing Figure lis a view in side elevation 'of the instrument embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. A

Figure 3 is a view in cross-section taken on the line 3*-3 Of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views,l the instrument embodyin the present Vinvention is indicated general y by the numeral 1 and comprises an elongated preferably cylindrical handle portion 2, which is formed of a material of poor heat conductivity such, for example, as fiber, porcelain or the like. This handle 2 is tubular and one end is reduced and screw threaded, as indicated at 3, while the other end is interiorly threaded, as indicated at 4.

The interiorly threaded end constitutes the rear of the handle 2 and in this is threaded the reduced portion 5 of a body 6 in which 65 is secured the electric contact pinsv 7.

To the forward end of the body 2 there is attached a short lcylindrical portion 8, the connection being made by threading the reduced end 3 into the interiorly threaded part l0 9 of this portion and this portion 8 secures in place, upon the end of the handle 2, thel annular uard flange or rin 10. The forward en of the portion 8 1s reduced and threaded as indicated at 11, for extension into the threaded interior end 12 of a cylinder 13 which is preferably formed of co per and which also has its other -Or forwar end interiorly threaded, as indicated at 14.

The inner face of the cylinder '13 is lined with a suitable insulation material 15 and houses a resistance or heating coil unit 16, as illustrated. l y

lhe ends of the heating coil unit 16 are connected with the contact pieces 7 by means of the wires 17 which pass through the handle 2 and through the bodies 8 and`10, as shown, these wires of course being insulated in the usual mannern Threadably engaging in the forward end of the cylinder 13is a reduced threaded couplipg 18 forming a partof a metal head 19 which is referably formed of copper and sis vsubstantie ly semi-spherical, as shown. This head has formed therein, opposite the threadcopper so that it will readily take up the heat 10 generated by the coil 16 and transmitted thereto through the head 19, and one face thereof is depressed slightly to form a spoon 1n which wax may be melted as necessary.

t will, of course, be readily understood that tips of various shapes may be substituted for the spatula shaped tip 22 as found necessary for the user of the device.

From the foregoing description it Awill be readily seen that with .the present electricall heated spatula the work of the mechanical diantists will be expedited considerably as it will not be necessary for him, in Working with Wax, to continually stop to reheat or keep warm the instrument which he is using.

By providing the instrument with the guard it), the operator is protected against burns which would robably result, if this iange were not provlded, by his fingers slipping forward onto the heated head of the instrument.

Having thus described the invention, ,what is claimed is:

An instrument of the character described, comprisin a tubular body having a rtion formed o insulation material and ivided into an intermediate section and two end sections, one of the said endsections and said intermediate section being threadably connected together, the other end of said intermediate section having a reduced exteriorly threaded terminal portion with which the other end section is threadedly engaged, a cylindrical metallic tip threadably connected at one end with the said other end section and.

rounded and providedl with a centrally threaded passage, said me' having its other end tallic tipbeing formed of a metal of a character to rapidly absorb heat, an annular member surrounding the vreduced threaded p0rtion ofthe said intermediate insulation section and secured in place by the said otherendisection, housed within conducting electricI current tolsaid heating element through the body-'of the instrument, and a` removable tool element V.having a threaded shank ada ted to en threadedboreto be' eated through contact with the adjacent tip-enclosed heating element.

In testimony signature.

an electric heating element whereof I hereunto aix my I WILTON V. LANE.

said metallic tip, means for' gage in the- 

